Adrian Owen
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Neuroscientist Adrian Owen has spent much of his career exploring what he calls \\u2018the grey zone\\u2019, a realm of consciousness inhabited by people with severe brain injuries, who are aware yet unable to respond to those around them. It's this inability to respond which has led doctors to conclude that they are unaware.\\n \\nIn the late 1990's, Adrian started to question the assumption that they lacked awareness and a chance discovery set him on a novel path of enquiry - could some of these patients be conscious or aware even though they don\\u2019t appear to be?\\n \\nHis research has revealed that some are, and he\\u2019s pioneered techniques to help them to communicate with the outside world.\\nThis emerging field of science has implications, not only for patients but, for philosophy and the law.\\n \\nA British scientist, Adrian now runs a research programme at the Brain and Mind Institute at Western University in Canada, dedicated to reaching people in this \\u2018grey zone\\u2019.
Picture: Adrian Owen, BBC Copyright
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